A recent commission required that I replace the hands of a person in a photograph with hands in a very different position. Easier said than done: no two hands are the same, and their position is affected by the turn of the figure, position on the paper, lighting, etc….
I started by photographing my father’s hands in the position I wanted, which is approximately that of adjusting cufflinks. The person whose hands I’m imitating has thicker man hands than mine, but not as much so as the wrecking balls that my father carries around. Thus, it was necessary to slim down the fingers and palms.
With this in mind, I started doing studies of hands. And then more studies. And then more studies. Finally, after doing studies in pen, watercolor, and charcoal, I got to the final piece, which you can see part of here, and all of coming soon. Enjoy!
